Mediterranean Diet Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

Mediterranean Diet Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

This recipe is almost like an “everything but the kitchen sink” type recipe but has the added benefit of fitting into a healthy Mediterranean Diet. You can easily throw everything in your crockpot in the morning before leaving for work so you can walk into a wonderful smelling house and have dinner waiting for you! Who doesn’t love that?! You can also set this to cook at night so you have a healthy lunch to bring with you to work.

The Mediterranean Diet…

is not as much of a diet as it is a lifestyle. It consists primarily of plants, healthy fats like olive oil, poultry, fish, beans and grains. Following the Mediterranean Diet has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. That’s because it’s high in antioxidants and low in artery-clogging saturated fats.

As an added bonus, this recipe is low in FODMAPS! FODMAPS are foods that can trigger IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) symptoms, causing unwanted gas, bloating, pain, etc. Like many, I have IBS and cannot eat garlic and onions, except green onions. Therefore, I leave the garlic whole in this recipe so I can easily remove them before eating. That way I get the flavor without the pain!

Ingredients:

1 c. sliced celery

1 c. sliced carrots

3 c. shredded kale (no thick stems)

1 c. sliced green onions

5 cloves garlic, whole

4 c. low-sodium chicken broth

4 c. water

2 lbs chicken breast

6 oz crumbled feta or shaved parmesan

1 c. dry brown rice

15 oz can chickpeas

15 oz can diced tomatoes

2 T. dried oregano

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Directions:

Put all ingredients except kale and cheese in a slow cooker. Stir all ingredients together. Set to low and cook for 10 hours or 4 hours on high. When stew is done, add a handful of kale to your bowl, spoon stew over top and sprinkle with feta/parmesan cheese. The kale will get overcooked if left in the slow cooker the whole time.

It’s that easy! The best part is since this is a one-pot dish, there’s only one pot to clean!! Plus it makes a nice warm and cozy lunch that’ll keep you full for hours. For another easy Mediterranean style lunch or dinner idea, check out my Salmon and Quinoa Salad.

Makes 10 servings each:

387 calories, 10 g fat, 28 g carbs, 38 g protein

Need more easy and healthy recipes like this one? Download my Healthy Living Cookbook! Chock full of dietitian-approved recipes that the whole family will love.